IELTS preparation and practice

Reading
General Training module
Practice test 2

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Candidate Number

Candidate Name ______________________________________________

INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING SYSTEM

General Training Reading

PRACTICE TEST 2

Time

1 hour

1 hour

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
Do not open this question paper until you are told to do so.
Write your name and candidate number in the spaces at the top of this page.
Read the instructions for each part of the paper carefully.
Answer all the questions.
Write your answers on the answer sheet. Use a pencil.
You must complete the answer sheet within the time limit.
At the end of the test, hand in both this question paper and your answer sheet.

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

There are 40 questions on this question paper.
Each question carries one mark.

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SECTION 1

Questions 114

Read the text below and answer Questions 17.

Volunteers
Thank you for volunteering to work one-on-one with some of the students at our
school who need extra help.
Smoking policy
Smoking is prohibited by law in the classrooms and anywhere on the school grounds.
Safety and Health
Volunteers are responsible for their own personal safety and should notify the school
of any pre-existing medical conditions. Prescription and any other medications that
you normally carry with you must be handed in to the school nurse on arrival and
collected on departure. If you require them, the nurse will dispense them to you in her
office.
Sign-in
A sign-in book is located at office reception. Please sign this register every time you
come to the school. This is important for insurance purposes and emergency situations.
After signing the book, collect a Visitors badge from the office. This must be worn at
all times when you are on school premises. Remember to return the badge afterwards.
Messages
Teachers will communicate with volunteers via telephone, email or messages left at
the office. Always ask for messages. You may communicate with teachers in the same
way the preferred method is to leave a memo in the relevant teachers pigeonhole.
These can be found at the end of the corridor in the staffroom block.
Work hours
We understand that your time commitment is entirely voluntary and therefore flexible.
If your personal schedule should change and this affects your availability, please
contact the Co-ordinator for Volunteers at the school on extension 402; alternatively,
you could drop in to her office situated in F block.
Role of the Co-ordinator
The Co-ordinator is responsible for matching volunteer tutors with students,
organising tutorial rooms, ensuring student attendance and overseeing volunteer tutor
training. If you encounter any problems, contact her as above.

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Questions 17
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text on the
previous page?
In boxes 17 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN

if the statement agrees with the information

if the statement contradicts the information
if there is no information on this

As a volunteer, you will be helping students individually.

You may smoke in the playground.

You cannot take any medicine while at the school.

If you forget to sign the register, you wont be insured for accidents.

The best way of communicating with teachers is in writing.

You can choose your own hours of work.

The co-ordinator keeps student attendance rolls.

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Read the text below and answer Questions 814.

Minimal impact bushwalking

Responsible campers observe minimal impact bushwalking practices. This is a code
of ethics and behaviour aimed at preserving the natural beauty of bushwalking areas.

Planning
Good planning is the key to safe and successful camping trips. Obtaining a camping
permit in advance of leaving to camp out overnight in a national park is obligatory.
Bookings are also compulsory for some parks. There could be limits on group sizes
in some parks. Occasionally campsites may be closed owing to bushfire danger or
for other reasons. Always obtain permission from the owner prior to crossing private
property.

Equipment
As well as your usual bushwalking gear, you will need the right equipment for
camping.
A fuel stove and fuel for cooking is essential: not only is it safer, faster and cleaner;
but it is easier to use in wet weather. It is recommended that you pitch a freestanding tent which requires few pegs and therefore has less ecological impact. Take
a sleeping mat, if you have one, to put your sleeping bag on for a more comfortable
nights sleep. You will also need a hand trowel to bury human waste for proper
sanitation and hygiene.

Campfires
The traditional campfire actually causes a huge amount of environmental damage. If
you gather firewood, you are removing the vital habitat of insects, reptiles, birds and
small mammals. When campfires lead to bushfires, they create enormous danger to
native bush inhabitants and bushwalkers alike and result in destruction of the
environment. Under no circumstances should you light a fire in the bush.

Campsites
Erect your tent at an existing site if possible; otherwise try to find a spot where you
wont damage vegetation. Never cut branches or move rocks or disturb the soil
unnecessarily. Aim to leave your campsite as you found it or even cleaner.

Rubbish
Remove all rubbish carry it out with you. Dont attempt to burn or bury rubbish
because this creates a fire hazard and/or disturbs the soil. Animals can dig up buried
rubbish and scatter it about. Never feed the local wildlife carry out all food scraps
as these disturb the natural nutrient balance and can create weed problems.

Walk safely
Keep on the track. Wear footwear suitable for the terrain. Take a map.

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Questions 814
The passage refers to three ways in which campers should behave.
Classify the following behaviours as something that campers

A must do
B may do
C must not do
Write the correct letter A, B or C, in boxes 814 on your answer sheet.

get the landowners consent before walking across his land

use a sleeping mat

10

make a campfire in the bush

11

feed the birds

12

use a free-standing tent

13

dig a hole to bury rubbish in

14

get authorisation before setting out to camp in a national park

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SECTION 2

Questions 1527

Read the text below and answer Questions 1521

Conditions of employment
Weekly hours of work 40 hours per week at the ordinary hourly rate of pay for
most full-time employees, plus reasonable additional hours (penalty rates1 apply).
Part-time employees work a regular number of hours and days each week, but fewer
hours than full-time workers. Casual employees are employed on an hourly or daily
basis.
Entitlements (full-time employees):
Parental leave up to 12 months unpaid leave for maternity, paternity and adoption
related leave.
Sick leave up to 10 days paid sick leave per year; more than 4 continuous days
requires a medical certificate.
Annual leave 4 weeks paid leave per annum, plus an additional week for shift
workers.
Public holidays a paid day off on a public holiday, except where reasonably
requested to work. Employees working on public holidays are entitled to 15% above
their normal hourly rate.
Notice of termination 2 weeks notice of termination (3 weeks if the employee is
more than 55 years old and has at least 2 years of continuous service)
Note:
The entitlements you receive will depend on whether you are employed on a full-time,
part-time or casual basis.
If you work part-time, you should receive all the entitlements of a full-time employee
but on a pro-rata or proportional basis.
If you are a casual worker, you do not have rights to any of the above entitlements nor
penalty payments. Casual workers have no guarantee of hours to be worked and they
do not have to be given advance notice of termination.

Penalty rate = a higher rate of pay to compensate for working overtime or outside normal hours e.g.
night-time or on public holidays.

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Questions 1521
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?
In boxes 1521 on your answer sheet write
TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN

if the statement agrees with the information

if the statement contradicts the information
if there is no information on this

15

Part-time workers are entitled to a higher rate of pay if they work more than
their usual number of hours per week.

16

Casual workers may be hired by the hour or by the day.

17

A full-timer who takes a year off to have a baby can return to the same
employer.

18

A full-time worker needs a doctors note if he is sick for 4 days in a row.

19

A full-time night-shift worker is entitled to 5 weeks paid holiday each year.

20

Any workers over 55 are entitled to 3 weeks notice of termination.

21

Casual workers can be dismissed without notice.

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Questions 2227
The text on the next page has six sections, AF.
Choose the correct heading for each section, AF, from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, ix, in boxes 2227 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

22

Section A

23

Section B

24

Section C

25

Section D

26

Section E

27

Section F

Written communication

ii

Clarity

iii

Style

iv

Research

End of message

vi

One point per email

vii

Relevance

viii

Specify the response you want

ix

The subject line

Internal emails

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Writing Effective Emails

Follow these simple rules to make a

point. The purpose of the message

positive impression and get an

should be outlined in the first paragraph

appropriate response.

and the body should contain all of the

relevant information.

A
Like a headline in a newspaper: it should

grab the recipients attention and specify

Be sure to include a call to action a

what the message is about use a few

phone call or a follow-up appointment

well-chosen words. If the email is one of

perhaps. To ensure a prompt reply,

a series e.g. a weekly newsletter, include

incorporate your contact information

the date in the subject line. Never leave

name, title, company, phone/fax

it blank.

numbers or extensions, even your

business address if necessary. Even

internal messages must have contact

If you need to email someone about

information.

several different issues, write a separate

email for each subject. This allows the

recipient to reply to each one

Only use this technique for very short

individually in a timely manner. For

messages or reminders where all the

instance, one subject might be dealt with

relevant information can fit in the

quickly while another could involve

subject line. Write EOM at the end of

some research. If you have several

the line to indicate that the recipient

related points, put them all in the same

doesnt have to open the email.

email but present each point in a

numbered or bulleted paragraph.

F
Emails, even internal ones, should not be

too informal after all, they are written

Your email should be clear and concise.

forms of communication. Use your spell-

Sentences should be short and to the

check and avoid slang.

The British Council 2012. All rights reserved.

SECTION 3

Questions 2840

Read the text below and answer Questions 2840.

Making the Cut

When we talk about how films convey meaning we tend to refer to acting, music,
dialogue, props and narrative developments, but often forgotten is the visual essence
of a film itself, which is the cutting together of moving images motion pictures
each one carefully tailored to meet a particular need or purpose.
Most films and many important scenes within them open with an establishing shot.
Typically this shot precedes our introduction to the main characters by presenting us
with the locale in which the scenes action or dialogue is about to occur. Occasionally,
however, a director will use an establishing shot with another goal in mind. An
opening view of a thousand soldiers parading in synchronized fashion might have
little to reveal about the films geography, for example, but it does inform the
audience that ideas about discipline and conformity are likely to arise in the material
that follows. In this way, establishing shots can also introduce a films theme.
After an establishing shot, most directors choose a long shot in order to progress the
narrative. This type of shot displays the entire human physique in relation to its
surroundings, so it is ideal for bridging the narrative divide between location and
individual activity. A long shot is therefore often used to centre on a pivotal character
in the scene. A film might begin with an establishing shot of bleak, snowy mountains
and then cut to a long shot of a lone skier, for example, or a sweeping panorama of a
bustling metropolis could segue into a street view of someone entering a building.
From here the door is wide open for directors to choose whichever shots will enhance
the narration. Close-up shots are popular in suspense sequences a handgun being
loaded, a doorknob being turned, the startled expression of someone freshly roused
from sleep. Confining the visual field in this way adds to the viewers apprehension.
Dramatic films will probably want to emphasise character interaction. The thirdperson shot in which a third of the frame consists of a rear view of a persons upper
torso and head can be effectively utilised here. This shot encourages us to actually
slip into the persona of that character, and vicariously live through their experiences.

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10

A number of special-purpose shots are used quite rarely once, if at all, in most films.
One such type is the money shot. A money shot has no specific technical features or
content, but is typically the most expensive element of a films production values and
comes with a cost massively disproportionate to its screen time (which may be limited
to just a brief glimpse). Because of its spectacular, extravagant nature, however, the
money shot is a major revenue generator and is widely exploited for use in
promotional materials. Money shots are most popular amongst but not limited to
high visual-impact genres such as action, war, thriller and disaster films.
But more affordable shots can also add an interesting twist to the story. The Dutch tilt
can depict a character in a state of psychological unease by shooting them from a
jaunty angle. In this way they appear literally and metaphorically unbalanced. A trunk
shot often shows a small group of characters peering into the trunk of a vehicle. It is
filmed from a perspective within the trunk itself, although frequently to avoid camera
damage directors will simply place a detached piece of trunk door in the corner of the
frame. This shot was a favourite of Quentin Tarantino and has been used in many
crime and gangster films, often as a first-person shot through the eyes of someone
who is tied up and lying inside the vehicle. A shot that has gained traction in avantgarde circles is the extreme close-up. This is when a single detail of the subject fills
up the entire frame. Alfred Hitchcock famously used an extreme close-up in Psycho,
when he merged a shot of a shower drain into a view of a victims eye. It has also
been used in Westerns to depict tension between duelling gunmen eyeing each other
up before a shoot out.
Not all types of shots are used in order to enhance the narrative. Sometimes financial
restrictions or technical limitations are a more pressing concern, especially for lowbudget film makers. In the early murder mysteries of the 1920s and 1930s, the
American shot which acquired its name from French critics who referred to a plan
amricain was used widely for its ability to present complex dialogue scenes
without alterations in camera position. Using the American shot, directors have their
cast assemble in single file while discussing key plot points. The result is an
efficiently produced scene that conveys all relevant information, but the trade off is a
natural tone. Because few people in real life would ever associate in such an awkward
manner, American shots tend to result in a hammy, stiff feel to the production.

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11

Questions 28-33
Look at the following descriptions (Questions 2833) and the list of terms below.
Match each description with the correct term, AJ.
Write the correct letter, AJ, in boxes 2833 on your answer sheet.

28

A group of people, full length body shot

29

Two people, only one facing camera, head and shoulders shot

30

Distance shot of central city, from the air

31

A single person, head and shoulders, off-centre angle shot

32

Lone pedestrian, walking a city street

33

A flaming bus, about to crash

List of Terms
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J

Trunk shot
Dutch tilt
Establishing shot
Money shot
American shot
Long shot
Extreme close-up
Third-person shot
First-person shot
Close-up

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12

Questions 34-37
Answer the questions below:
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 3437 on your answer sheet.

34

Which TWO aspects of story can be shown with an establishing shot?

35

What does a long shot focus our attention on?

36

What do close-ups restrict in order to make audiences nervous?

37

What does a third-person shot place importance on?

Questions 3840
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.

Some shots are not used very often. Money shots have a high
38 considering that they only last for a few seconds. The money
shot brings in a lot of money, however, and is an important part of the films
39 .
Other, less expensive shots can still be fascinating: a character can be made to
seem 40 in both mind and body when filmed with a Dutch tilt, for
instance.

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13